3 Solutions For Success

A fresh approach changes the direction of your results. “Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought,” Henri Louis Bergson.

Everyone reaches a point in life where they feel stuck. The creativity does not flow and the spirit is restless. Wayne Dyer, world renowned author, lecturer and philosopher, once said that it is impossible to be depressed and active at the same time. The greatest cure for being stuck, restless or depressed is always action. Go do something. Write, read, walk, bake cookies or clean the garage. Go do something.

Better yet, when you are restless and discontent with your current situation, go do something wonderful for someone else. Doing something good for someone else not only makes them feel better but it also improves your attitude.

When your results are not progressing the way you desire, the 3 areas to investigate are:

Attitude
Philosophy
Activity

Your attitude reflects your perspective toward a situation. It is how you feel about the events in your life. A positive attitude will always help you do more than a negative attitude.

"A 'positive attitude' is definitely one of the keys to success. My definition of a positive attitude is a simple one: Looking for the good in all circumstances. Catherine Pulsifer

Your attitude reflects in everything you do whether you realize it or not. Your attitude about yourself, your work and your life in general projects into everything you say and do. When things are not going your way, look inside rather than outside.

Your philosophy is your pursuit of knowledge through study and self discipline. Jim Rohn was 25 when he realized that the problem with his finances was not the economy, the government, the taxes or any external force but his philosophy of life. He changed his philosophy and began disciplining himself to study successful people. He read “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Clason. He adopted their philosophy of handling money, business and forward thinking mindset. This subtle change in philosophy created a major shift in his earnings and the way he managed his money.

Philosophy quotes can be very obtuse and vague. Oscar Wilde said it best, “I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I m saying.” One of my favorites of Oscar Wilde is “I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.”

Break philosophy down into simple terms. Change your perspective about a situation; study and develop a new view of life. According to Wayne Dyer, when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change. This is philosophy 101.

Once you change your attitude to reflect more of the positive approach and change your philosophy to study and gain new perspective, your activity will automatically change.

Get in the habit every night of making a list of five things to move your business. Let your subconscious work on the solutions while you sleep. Be absolutely certain to complete your five major action steps every day. Every activity must move you closer to your goal.

Decide with pin point accuracy your exact goals. Know precisely what you consider as success: personal, professional, and financial. Focus every activity each day with laser beam accuracy toward the achievement of those goals.

With a crystal clear philosophy, a positive attitude and laser focused accuracy in all of your activities, it would be impossible to miss your goals.

When your life stalls out or misses its target, reassess your attitude, philosophy and accuracy. Changing one or a combination of those three factors will turn your life upward.

If you would like assistance with attitude, philosophy, or activity, write a comment in “contact Elaine” in www.Elaine4Success.com. Your future is guaranteed.

Grains of Sand

How does an oyster create a pearl? A tiny grain of sand works its way in to the oyster shell and irritates the poor innocent oyster. Over time, the grain of sand transforms into a precious gem; pearls are created from friction and irritation.

Every life encounters irritation. The only way to avoid any friction in life involves hiding in a cave, avoiding people and avoiding any contact with life outside yourself. Even that existence could and probably does encounter loneliness, poverty, and the elements (life in a cave does not convey luxury and warmth to my imagination.) Bottom line - life has irritations and inconveniences.

Everyone, including yourself, chooses to have a better future than their present circumstances. You still have dreams and goals. If you have given up on all dreams and goals, we need to have a different conversation. You deserve a life you design for yourself. If you do not design your own present and future, by default, it will be designed for you. Who do you believe will do a better job of designing your ideal future - you or someone else? You were given a brain and expected to use it. I promise you that you were not given goals and dreams of a better life without a way to make them come true. It all depends on how badly you want that better life. What are you willing to do to achieve it?

Irritation happens in life; irritation is reality. The question which makes all the difference between the successful and the failures directly relates to how you handle that irritation. You can choose the curl up in a corner and cry "poor me" or stand up, dust yourself off and say, "Watch me." The pearl, the successful business person, persisted until victory finally waved "hello" from the top of the financial mountain.

Andy Andrews, author of the "Travelers Gift," found himself living under a pier in California at one point in life. He chose to visit the library every day, read everything he desired to improve his mind, make a decision to start improving his life, and take action on that decision. He chose to find a way to improve and actually do the work required to bring that improvement into reality. Was it easy? Absolutely not. Was it worth the struggle? Absolutely yes.

Every life encounters various size rocks. Rocks of Life spoke about the big rock in the field of our life. Attitude Rocks illustrated the importance of your attitude in every situation. Attitude plays such an important role with every size rock. Mindset determines how we handle these incidents in life. Frequently these rocks are gift wrapped and tied with a ribbon of guilt.

Sometimes others sent me on guilt trips.

Other times I was invited to go along with someone else on a guilt trip.

The worst guilt trip was when I purchased my own ticket.

Developing an attitude of, "What good can come from this situation" smoothes the path and eases the mental anguish. Seeking the positive in every incident in life relaxes the tension and allows a constructive outcome. Expecting a negative result predetermines the likelihood of undesirable consequences. More frequently than not, we experience what we expect rather than what we desire. Concentrating on prosperity and abundance rather than lack tends to produce more prosperity.

Your subconscious mind does not know how to distinguish good from bad or desired rather than expected. Program your subconscious mind to expect only the highest and best results for yourself. Developing a positive attitude and a positive expectation encourages life to provide desirable results. At the very least, it eases your mind and relaxes your creative abilities so that they can function at their highest level.

It is not what happens to us and outside of us which truly creates the difference; the significant difference is always created inside ourselves. Break up the big rocks and haul them away. Gather the medium sized rocks, the pebbles and the grains of sand into a bucket; seal the bucket and destroy it. No need keeping any rocks around to stub your toe of life. Deal with them once and for all and get rid of them forever.

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change, stated Dr. Wayne Dyer.

For more articles and inspiration, join me at http://www.elaine4success.com/

Games We Play

Christmas time encompasses family time. Sometimes those family times include games. As a youth, we played card games and board games. Generally those games were at the kitchen table or kitchen counter with a friendly, most of the time, competition between my brother and me.

With my sons and now my grandsons, I used games to teach strategic thinking, sharing, friendly competition and family fun. Games appear on many levels. From the childhood games of “Old Maid” or “Go Fish” or “Sorry” to the adult games of “Bridge” or “Monopoly,” card games and board games provide family interaction and fun.

Card games and board games represent entertainment. Other games, such as the blame game, represent destruction. So many people write me for coaching, mentoring and general assistance on a daily basis. The “blame game” keeps rearing its ugly head. My heart breaks for the person who hangs on to old wounds and drags around hurt feelings.

In many cases, the individual who supposedly committed this egregious act has passed away years ago. If the offender has departed this earth, the only one left to make amends is the offended. In many cases the offender did not even know of their mental or emotional crime. Obviously they are no longer able to correct the problem.

First, the blame game never benefits anyone. Martyrdom is highly over-rated. Get over it. The deceased no longer suffers from this problem; the only one suffering is the living. Therefore, the only one who can relieve the suffering is the one holding on to hurt. Why hold on and suffer, unless you particularly like to feel sorry for yourself. You chose to feel hurt and you can choose to get over it and go on with life.

Hearing that you chose to feel hurt, offends some people. Sorry, feeling offended does not change the facts. You told yourself a story, repeated the story in your thoughts and words, and chose to believe it as factual. If you chose the story, thoughts, words and beliefs in the first place, you can choose to dismiss them in the present. You are in control. You choose to continue to suffer or you can choose to be happy and go on with life.

Many people come to me with woes about how their family treated them. They say I could not possibly relate. My childhood was 180 degrees from ideal but I learned to change my perspective, learn from those incidents and resolve never to repeat them. My parents did what they did for whatever reason they did it. It’s over and done. I am not a small child and they are no longer on the earth. Forgive, learn, grow and go on. Wayne Dyer, author, lecturer, professional speaker and motivation master, says, “Your friends are God’s way of apologizing for your relatives.” Cultivate and enjoy your friends. Heal, forgive and let go of your past. Live today in peace and joy.

This same “blame game” scenario goes on in business every day. People blame their boss or their sponsor or their co-workers. Reality check! You chose to accept the job or you chose to enter the business. You are responsible for creating your own success and happiness. Neither your parents, nor your boss, nor your sponsor has the obligation of making you happy and profitable. Few of us were handed a silver spoon or a trust fund when we arrived in this world. Few of us were handed a ready-made successful business. Building a successful business takes work, dedication, learning, persistence and consistency. Just as Suze Orman says, “If you want to know the best financial advisor for you, look in the mirror.” The same holds true for your business. “If you want to know who is responsible for creating success in your business, look in the mirror.”

The “blame game” eats away at your very soul. Blaming others hurts you and everyone who cares about you. Notice, when people do not care about your feelings, they do not hurt. You are probably only hurting yourself. Unless you enjoy being a martyr, get over it and go on. You are responsible for your thoughts, feelings and results.
For more articles, inspiration and self-examination, join me at www.Elaine4Success.com.

Make a Difference

You can make a difference in someone’s life today. Making a difference can be as simple as allowing another car to merge into your lane on a busy freeway, holding a door for someone, smiling encouragement, or any random act of kindness. Sometimes the smallest gestures mean a great deal.

Serotonin is the “feel good” chemical reproduced in mood enhancing drugs. Your body naturally produces Serotonin. It is a known fact that Serotonin automatically increases in the brain of a person performing an act of kindness. The Serotonin increases in the brain of the person receiving the act of kindness; it is even known to increase Serotonin in the brains of people observing an act of kindness. Everyone can make a difference by doing some random act of kindness.

Wayne Dyer, prolific author, speaker and professor, told the story of one of his daughters, Summer, simply letting a lady with a few items and an active toddler go in front of her at the grocery checkout. The lady was so grateful that she told Summer that she had just moved to the area a few months earlier. The lady said that she had decided if she did not see a welcoming sign by the end of the day she would insist that her family move back to their former state. She told Summer, “you are my sign. We will stay.”

Summer was so impressed that such a simple gesture would make a difference that she told a friend of hers who was attending college in another state. The friend related her story of pulling up to the toll both on the interstate and discovering that the car ahead of her had paid her toll. This simple unexpected random act of kindness impressed her so much that she decided to do that every day when she drove through the toll booth.

Tiny little random acts of kindness can multiply and spread the Serotonin in a ripple effect far from the original act. Yes, one person can make a difference; however, many random acts of kindness can instill smiles of the faces of so many people.

In this time of economic turmoil, how wonderful it will be to generate random acts of kindness. You will either be remembered for the problems you solve or the problems you create. Why not start a cascade of random acts of kindness and make a difference for a large number of people.

Jim Rohn, noted business philosopher reminds us, “It is Easy to do. The problem is that it is also easy not to do.” Commit right now to doing a random act of kindness for at least three people today. If you are really ambitious, do something nice for 5 people.

Write a little 2 line note of encouragement, inspiration or thanks to three people. Call someone or stop by to see them. Tell someone at the office “Good job on the presentation.” Thank the receptionist or thank the doorman or a clerk in a store. Tell someone they look nice. Saying a kind word is so easy. Random acts of kindness to others increases good feelings for you and for them. It is painless and productive.

You will be amazed how it will improve your life at home, work and throughout your day. You can make a difference.

For more positive and informing articles on life and business, follow me on my blog at www.Elaine4Success.com. Make a difference.